When it comes to goofy anime-style courtroom/investigation games loosely based on the Japanese justice system, the Ace Attorney games are easily in the Top 10. (OK, I guess they’re number one, at least as far as I’m concerned.) They may not see the same level of success in America that they do in Japan, but the series is popular enough to have seen many releases (mostly on the Nintendo DS), and the most recognizable character, Phoenix Wright, has appeared in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

When they made a live-action Ace Attorney film in Japan (named, of course, after the Japanese name for the series, Gyakuten Saiban), I didn’t think there was much chance at all of seeing a Western release. Lack of mass American appeal for the series aside, the film seemed a little too out there for most English-speaking audiences. By that I mean it seems very “anime characters appearing in real life, where you should never see them outside of comic conventions and maybe nightmares.” I mean, look at the hair on some of those characters. Just look at it!

OK, I take it back. How could anyone not want to see this movie ASAP?

You can see a subtitled trailer of the film on YouTube. I imagine that this will be your only chance to see this film on the big screen in Dallas, but as the film is being shown in the US more and more, it’s looking more and more likely that we’ll at least get a DVD release at some point in the future. Still, if you have any desire to see it, you may want to be better safe than sorry.

Besides, I’d like to see the series as a whole gain a little more popularity with the American audience. The games are a ton of fun, and there’s an upcoming 3DS crossover game with Professor Layton that I really, really hope gets translated into English.

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